Prepare Your Home and Lawn for a Harsh Winter

We’ve been hearing that this coming winter may be a harsh one. With that in mind, preparing your lawn correctly for the winter season will prevent damage to your lawn next spring and summer.

Driving around Northeast Ohio this time of year we see many folks outside of their homes, cleaning up their lawns from falling leaves and getting ready for the winter season ahead. Below are our recommendations that any homeowner can do to help get their home and lawn prepared for winter.

Roof and Gutter Cleaning

As we’re mentioning the leaf cleanup, don’t forget your roof and gutters. It’s a good idea to blow the leaves completely off of your roof and clear them out of your gutters. We also recommend running water through your gutters to make sure everything is flowing correctly and there’s no clogs.

Raking Leaves

After you’ve cleared your roof and gutters of the leaves, the next thing you’ll want to do is rake your lawn and get rid of the leaves. Leaves left on your lawn can kill the grass or cause snow mold. Raking also thatches and breaks up debris on the soil. Since we’ve had rain with the leaves, raking will also assist the blades of grass to stand up for your final mowing.

Mow Your Lawn Tight

During the summer months it’s recommended that healthy lawn have longer grass blades which crowd out the weed growth. Long grass in the winter, trapped under the weight of the snow, traps moisture which can cause snow mold or other fungal disease. Since there’s no upper blade growth at the time of this writing, it’s best to mow your lawn shorter or tighter so the blades of grass stand tall and aren’t smothered by the snow.

Seed Any Bare Spots

Grab yourself a bag of grass seed and rake out any bare spots and throw some seed on them. This is a great time of year to spread grass seed because it will have a chance to germinate without competing weeds.

Outdoor Water Spigots

Last but not least, remember to make sure your water spigots are turned off and your garden hoses have made it inside for the winter. Freezing water can cause pipes to expand and burst which can then cause leaks and many other problems.

With the right preparation, your lawn will look good next spring. Other things we recommend in the fall are aeration and fertilization which are services we provide and is one of the best ways to improve next year’s lawn. Feel free to contact us if you’d like more information on any of our services.